NEWS AND NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1803, 16 July 1913, Page 8

NEWS AND NOTES.

STATE ADVANCES. OPERATIONS FOR THE YEAR, The nineteenth annual report of the State Guaranteed Advances Oflice, which was presented to Parliament yesterday, states that during the year ended .March HI advances were made to 2019 settlers, tho total loans being JL850.30U. The total amount of the advances paid over during the year for both Advances to Settlers and Advances to Workers was ,£1,299,5G0. The Advances to Settlers authorised during the year totalled 21X1, tho total amount authorised being .£719,r>90. The advances now current total 18,397, representing .£7,457,817. Of this amount A'2,8!)7,455 is loaned in sums not exceeding £500; ,£2,115,93G iu sums from .£SOO to ,£1000; ,£1,913,311 iu sums from .£IOOO to .02000; and =£531,034 in sums from ,£2OOO to .£3OOO. The sum of i' 5,383,222 is advanced on freeholds; =C1,5)U!).063 on leaseholds; and .£105,531 on freeholds and leaseholds combined. The amount advanced on rural land is .£1,873,592, and that on urban and suburban lands is .£2,581,225. The amounts paid over during the last financial year was .£850,300 The gross profit for the year was .£85,502, and tho uet profit .£73,801. Tho losses on. securities debited during tho year amounted to only i£G. The district with tho largest amount of advances authorised during tho year was Auckland, with .£351,285, Wellington coming next with ■£114,110. During tho year tho sum of .£397,175 was advanced to 1251 workers, of whom 41G (.£130,515) were in the Auckland district; 262 (.£85,185) in the Wellington district; and 206 (=£85,025) in the Canterbury district. The total amount now advanced to workers is .£2,007,917 (the sum paid over during tho year was' <£449,260), .£137,835 being advanced on freehold and ,£11,125 on leasehold. The gross profits for the year were .£13,835, and the net profits =£11,262. Two freehold securities were realised during the year, the losses debited amounting to ,£179. The amount of advances to local bodies provisionally approved during tho year was .£136,513, Auckland accounting for JE57.553. New applications finally approved during tho year amounted to .£181,795. The amount paid over to local bodies during the year was =£517,295. Tho net loss for the year amounted to .£635, as against .£10,578 for the previous year, a decrease of .£9943. A CAMPAIGN POINT. . GOVERNMENT MESSENGERS. The Hon. A. L. Herdinan (Minister for Justice) made a statement to a reporter yesterday by way of reply to a statement majio by Mr. Hannan in a recent speech delivered by him in his campaign in the Grey election. "I gather from what has been reported in tho press," said Mr. Herdinan, "that ' Mr. Hannan has stated publicly that when I was at Greymouth attending the funeral of Sir Arthur Guinness I gave an undertaking, or I pl-omised, that the old messengers in Parliament Buildings would be re-employed. My answer to that is this: That the messengers of the House aro not under my control in any way; they are not in any of my Departments. It is quite true that when I called upon Lady Guinness to express the sympathy of the Government for her stated that Sir Arthur Guinness had expressed a wish that the old messengers should not be forgotten. My recollection is that I stated that no doubt tho Government would do tho right thing by them. I gavo no promise or undertaking of any sort. I. had no authority to bind /the Government or the Minister who is in charge of the messengers. As n matter of fact, tho old messengers have not been forgotten. Some have been le-employcd, ami those who have not been re-employed are being liberally pensioned." In the course of his speech last night in the House, the Prime Minister said tho old messengers were in 110 wise dissatisfied with this arrangement, and ho had, received a letter signed by a number of them thanking the Government for what fyad been done for them. THE POLICE FORCE.

EFFECT OF THE NEW BILL. The Police Forco Bill, introduced in the House of Representatives yesterday by the Hon. A. L. Herdman (Minister for Justice), is a measure to amend and consolidate all the legislation concerning the administration and discipline of the police force. One concession to the force in the Bill pertains to tho holding of inquiries into the dismissal of officers or members of the force. If a superintendent, inspector, or sub-inspector is accused of a breach', of duty which in the opinion of the Minister would render it. inexpedient that, ho should remain in the force, the Minister may, if he thinks sufficient cause -for further proceedings has been shown, appoint tivo or nioro persons, of whom only ono shall bo a member,of tho force, to tiniro into tlio truth of the charge, and report their finding to the Minister. The Minister may then impose a fine not exceeding £20, may rcduce.tho offender in rank, or recommend the Governor to dismiss him. If a sergeant is accused of misconduct or insubordination the commissioner may direct a. superintendent to inquire into the truth of the charge, and if they find the charge proved, tho commissioner may impose a fino not exceeding ,£5 or may rccommend tho dismissal of tho offender or his reduction in rank. Where a constable is accused of misconduct, the superintendent or the inspector for tho district may inquire into tho truth of the charge, and if the charge be proved tho offender may bo dismissed, or fined a sum not exceeding £3. ft' If any member of the forco into whoso conduct any inquiry in tho processes above detailed has been held is dissatisfied with tho result of the inquiry, he may appeal/ from tho decision to a Board of Appeal to bo nominated by the Minister. The chairman of the board must be a magistrate, and the other members of it must be an officer of the force, senior or equal in rank to. the appellant, and some other person not being a member of the force. Tho board shall after inquiry report to tlio Minister, who may thereupon make such order as he thinks fit. Another concession to the forco is in the clauso under which thx> Minister may from time to time appoint a committer of inquiry. consisting of officers of tho force, for the purpose of investigating and reporting to tho Commissioner on the claim of any member or memU;rs of tho forco with respect to their pay, clothing, or leave of abscncc, or any other matter connected with tho force. SCENERY PRESERVATION. Tho report upon scenery preservation presented to the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon states that for tho year ending March 31, 1913, an area t>f 55,140 acres in fifty-nine reserves was set aside under the Scenery Preservation Act. 1908, for scenic, historic, and thermal springs purposes. There had boon reserved previously an area of 159.508 acres, but during the year the reservation over 3386 acres was revoked, so that the net area reserved on March 31. 1913, was 211,562 acres, contained in 318 separate reservations. The greatest area of reservation was recorded in (lie .Nelson district, where •15,000 acres of liillv ami mountainous forest country, chiefiv on tho banks of,tho Duller River, weVe proclaimed for scenic nreservatioii. The maintenance of (he hanks of the Buller Gorge under biifli is important, for.the purpo-e of preserving the surrounding country from denudation of <--oil.

The net expenditure for the vonr was ■£1G.512. The Act of 1903 provided a total of .£IOO.OOO for preservation purnoses. and so far the errand sum spent totals .£59.855. leaving <£<10,145 available for further activity. On the north shore of Lake Rotorua reservation was removed from 3019 acres suitable for formin?. This would assist settlement. The report concludes by emphasising the value of bush reservations, both from scenic and economic aspects. It .was hoped that, local bodies and settlers would realis? how advisable it was to maintain scenic reserves in suitable positions in 'as much a state o_f nature as possible.